Senior SOC Analyst - Incident Response & Threat Hunting

Talent; Auckland; Hybrid; NZD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Two days in Auckland CBD office

Health insurance

Wellbeing initiatives

Flexible working arrangements

KiwiSaver employer contribution

Job summary

Talent in Auckland is seeking a Senior SOC Analyst to lead incident response efforts and threat hunting in a hands-on capacity. You will own complex incidents, guide other analysts and improve SOC detection and response capabilities.

Two days per week in the Auckland CBD, hybrid work, and a clear path to influence SOC processes while avoiding on-call duties. Applicants must be based in New Zealand with valid work rights.

Qualifications

• Over 5 years in Security Operations Centre environments.
• Experience in senior/lead or escalation roles.
• Hands-on expertise with SIEM and EDR/XDR platforms.
• Proven incident response and threat hunting capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead high-severity security incidents from initial investigation through containment and remediation.
• Act as a technical escalation point for SOC analysts.
• Conduct proactive threat hunting and identify emerging security risks.
• Help develop and improve SOC workflows, playbooks and detection capabilities.
• Communicate incident impact and recommended actions to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Skills

Senior SOC experience

Technical escalation leadership

Threat hunting

Incident response leadership

Stakeholder communication

Mentoring

Detection engineering

Calm under pressure

Tools

Microsoft Sentinel

Splunk

Microsoft Defender (EDR/XDR)

SOAR platforms

Job description

Senior SOC Analyst - Incident Response & Threat Hunting

Auckland CBD | Permanent | Hybrid - two office days | No on-call

Take the technical lead when it matters most.

We are looking for an experienced Senior Security Operations Centre (SOC) Analyst to join a well-established security operations environment. This is a hands-on technical leadership role where you will lead high-severity incidents, guide other analysts and influence how the SOC detects, investigates and responds to threats.

You will be the trusted technical authority and escalation point - not a people manager. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced SOC professional who enjoys leading from the front, mentoring others and improving security operations without the politics of formal team management.

The opportunity

You will take ownership of complex security incidents from initial investigation through containment, remediation and review. Alongside incident response, you will conduct proactive threat hunting, support the development of other analysts and help strengthen SOC workflows, playbooks and detection capabilities.

You will work closely with technical teams and business stakeholders, providing clear advice and maintaining calm, decisive leadership during critical incidents.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the investigation and resolution of high-severity security incidents
• Act as a technical escalation point for SOC analysts
• Perform proactive threat hunting and identify emerging security risks
• Analyse network activity, alerts and security events
• Use SIEM and EDR/XDR platforms to investigate and respond to threats
• Support the development and improvement of SOAR processes and playbooks
• Mentor analysts and promote effective knowledge sharing
• Contribute to detection engineering and broader SOC capability uplift
• Communicate incident impact, risk and recommended actions to technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Identify opportunities to improve operational processes and response effectiveness

What you will bring

• At least five years of dedicated Security Operations Centre experience
• Previous senior, lead or technical escalation responsibilities
• Advanced experience with SIEM platforms such as Microsoft Sentinel or Splunk
• Strong knowledge of EDR/XDR technologies such as Microsoft Defender
• Demonstrated ownership of complex security incident response
• Practical threat-hunting experience
• Strong understanding of network analysis and intrusion detection
• Experience working with SOAR technologies and security playbooks
• The ability to remain calm and make pragmatic decisions under pressure
• Clear communication skills across technical and business audiences
• A genuine interest in mentoring others and sharing knowledge

Experience improving SOC processes, detection capability, playbooks or team maturity would be particularly valuable.

What is on offer

• Hybrid working with two days per week in the Auckland CBD office
• No on-call requirement
• Southern Cross UltraCare 400 health insurance
• Life, trauma, income protection and permanent disability insurance
• Employer KiwiSaver contribution grossed up so eligible employees receive the full 3%
• Monthly fitness reimbursement of up to $100
• Additional wellbeing initiatives and employee benefits
• A supportive culture with flexible working arrangements
• Genuine influence over SOC processes and capability development

Applicants must be based in New Zealand and hold a valid work visa to be considered for this role. Due to the high volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.